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Survey on ISBNs for ebooks
November 28, 2009 | 5:57 pm
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By Paul Biba
The International SSBN Agency is trying to establish requirements, if any, for separate identification of different ebook versions. There is quite some controversy going on now as to whether an ebook should have the and ISBN at all, and if so whether it should be the same as the print ISBN or different, and if the ebook has its own ISBN should it have a separate number for each of the formats it is published in (epub, mobi, txt, etc.).
The Agency has started a survey, which you can find here, and all interested parties should respond and help formulate a policy for the future.
Thanks to Resource Shelf for the heads up.
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Comments:
I just cannot see ISBN being up to the task.
what is the difference between an ebook and any other type of electronic document that might be published or otherwise circulated?
Nothing!
Therefore, in terms of identity the real difference is between documents meant to be circulated publicly (published) and those that circulate privately (between individuals).
Published material then differs between what is intended to be sold and those freely circulated, and then those copyrighted and in the public domain.
In other words unique identities are needed immediately and on-the-fly, then followed up by appropriate registration on public data bases.
The idea that registration is connected with issuing ids is a non-goer as the report above shows in the handling of this non-issue.